


Working Title

by FunnyLittleOwl



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Book publisher AU, CEO Victor, Fluff and Humor, It's just like the YA novels they publish, M/M, Mutual Pining, accidental dick pic, lots of swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-24 16:57:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14359701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunnyLittleOwl/pseuds/FunnyLittleOwl
Summary: “Do you know why I called you in here?” His boss asked.“Because I accidentally sent you a dick pic?” Yuuri flinched.“Wait.” Victor stopped pouring wine suddenly. “Accidentally?”





	Working Title

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this tweet. Because the opportunity was just too good to pass out.

 

 

Yuuri liked working at a book publisher. It was fun.  
  
Well. Or maybe he did, until earlier in that seemingly uneventful friday afternoon.

(Friday afternoons are never uneventful for too long. Yuuri probably should have learned that by now.)  
  
Right now, the Nikiforov & Feltsman Publishers, deemed “promising and refreshing” by latest reviews in the NYT, has officially delved into complete, utter chaos.

Their young CEO, Victor Nikiforov, had just finished speaking to a crowded room of anxious employees during the sacred intersetorial weekly meeting. He smiled politely and asked if there were any more questions about their upcoming title, that had just been presented in great fashion to the whole team.

Only silence ensued.

 So, naturally, everyone left and went back to business.

Then the skittish whispers began all at once. Inside the offices. All over the cafeteria. Even, surprisingly, between two male bathroom stalls, to Yuuri’s complete distress as he tried to pee.  
  
"What about the points of sale _in loco_? They surely haven't thought about how we're gonna sell this title to the smaller chains. Even the biggest bookstores, I mean! This is simply scandalous!" The voice in the stall to his left said, exasperated, while failing spectacularly to flush a clogged toilet.  
  
"We're never gonna beat our sales goal like this. I swear it goes up every month! I gave up in March, so should you," the other voice (this one to the right) replied, in an equally hopeless tone.  
  
Yuuri hadn't dared to speak out his own suicidal thoughts out loud.

You see, his area of expertise wasn’t one without its challenges and unexpected turns.  
  
Yuuri was the head of marketing at Nikiforov & Feltsman. _Digital_ marketing, more specifically.  
  
_What a poor choice of career,_ he now realized.  
  
Yuuri had to sell this shit online. This... racy, sexist, BDSM novel. On modern days, this was a disaster just waiting to happen.  
  
And he was also responsible for the most influential source of behavioral consumption out there: social media and its affiliates. Yuuri managed everything: digital campaigns, forums and official blogs, along with being the poor soul they sent into the fire when there was an image crisis out there, somewhere in the deep, wide web. Sometimes, he was even the person sent to _set_ out the fire, just to assure they’d get some press.  
  
But really, now. What was Mr. Nikiforov (or Victor, as he insisted on being called) even _thinking_ ?  
  
Did he really think this "The Shape of Desire" was a good idea? Just because it was Giacometti's suggestion and he was in the publisher’s coordination board?  
  
Everybody knew Giacometti's tastes were dubious at best. His last bet, "The Postman" did awful in the bookshelves, but it still wasn't enough to shadow his big hit from a couple years ago, "Call Me By Your Nickname", that is currently being adapted into a major motion picture, the first from Nikiforov  & Feltsman Publishers.  
  
Okay. Christophe Giacometti’s work could be hit and miss, but they did profit on it.

But _this particular book_ . The whole situation was just ridiculous.  
  
There were no two ways about it.

The cover was a dick pic.

A dick pic with beautiful typography, enticing colors and subtle phallic suggestions that could almost be considered classy… but still, a dick pic.

The author was a Korean retired athlete who was only now pursuing his dream of becoming a published erotica writer, or whatever the hell Victor meant by that. By judging his picture alone, you could never guess that forlorn, bored expression hid a mind so deeply interested in whips, chains and leather jackets. A mind that was also so untalented for the genre, that instead, wrote such cringy, debatably ‘liberating’ writing for women and the LGBT community.

It wasn’t that Yuuri was against the genre. It wasn’t that. Yuuri was all for erotica, _sign me the fuck up_ , but this book had all the signs of being the worst painful clichè Yuuri had ever encountered. And phallic suggestion on the cover, just… tasteless. Just, no.

It had nothing to do with their publishing segments. Here at N&F they wrote _compelling stories_ , not money-grabbing best-sellers that won notoriety by the public’s curiosity and utter disdain.

The book was to be “this month’s bet”, according to Victor in the meeting, and that was the definite proof their already loony CEO had totally lost his mind.

_Was the idiot on what drugs now? They must be pretty bad this time._

You see, this is the point where I come in and urge you not to be too harsh on Yuuri. He’s just a small guy in a big city trying to do his best, you know? He doesn’t actually hate his boss or think he’s incompetent. On the contrary. I’ll even let you in on a secret in advance: he actually even has a little crush on him.

Okay, maybe more than a little crush. That was why he was _insufferable_ , you know?

Yuuri has always regarded Victor Nikiforov to be a great leader, with his charismatic charm, approachable personality and his awe-inspiring speeches. He also had a great hunch for new talents and tendencies in the fictional genre.

Yuuri loved working with Victor, that is… when he wasn’t playing pranks around the office. Once, he had even fired the alarm and made everyone panic and leave the building before saying it was the easiest day to get them all to have a day-off, since they were already outside. _That guy._

Yuuri, of course, was the only one to go back up and yell at his irresponsibility. _Then_ he went home.

Still, he was the only boss Yuuri’s ever had who listened closely to his opinions and allowed him to go with his gut whenever he felt like it was the right choice.

_‘Yuuri, what do you think about this?’_

_‘Yuuri, do you think we should do that?’_

_‘Yuuri, why don’t you come over and we’ll talk about it?’_

As a creative person, Victor was brilliant. But when it came to managing the finances and working with tight deadlines…

Well, that’s where Yakov Feltsman came in. To balance out Victor’s unpredictability.

But as Mr. Feltsman had no children of his own, Victor was the sole heir to the company, and as his retirement day approached with every year passed, it worried Yuuri the tiniest bit.

Whatever happened to Victor’s never-ending spark of creative ideas? Had he run out of them? Was that even possible?

Because that was the only explanation why a book like _The Shape of Desire_ would even be published by them.

What will even _be_ of the publisher after this tragedy? Will it be corny release after corny release, literature be damned?  
  
And Phichit. Poor Phichit was just an intern, Giacometti's personal assistant in the publishing board.  
  
He was probably the one who was going to edit that draft into something verging comprehension. Yuuri thought Phichit would hardly be upset his name wouldn't feature in the catalographic card this time.

Yuuri wondered what his friend thought about all this mess.  
  
And speaking of Phichit, there he came, having no right to look that cheerful as he walked down the corridor, probably to refill his squeeze in the water fountain Yuuri was currently trying to hide himself behind.  
  
"What's gotten into you?" Yuuri said as a way of greeting. "Have you lost your mind? Or are you actually feeling confident about this stupid new project?"  
  
"Oh, no," Phichit smiled widely, "Hell, no. I'm pretty sure the book's gonna be a flop. I read it, after all. It sucks."  
  
"Then why are you looking so goddamn happy?"  
  
"Yuuri, I've got the best idea. I'm gonna get us both promoted."

Oh, _no_ . Not one of Phichit’s crazy schemes.  
  
Yuri gulped loudly. "I'm afraid."  
  
"You should be," Phichit grinned wickedly. "But there's no time to explain now, the boss is coming!"  
  
"What," Yuuri mumbled as his friend turned him around forcefully by the shoulder, before escaping to the office on his right and shutting the door with dramatic flare.  
  
Yuuri stood awkwardly there on the corridor, unsure of what had just happened. His water bottle was full and he had coffee back on his desk, he had no need to hang around here anymore.  
  
But on the corner of his eye, he spotted him. Six foot of Russia's primest creation, bluest eyes that have ever blued and shiniest forehead on the building. And he was smiling profusely at Yuuri.  
  
It was his boss. Victor Nikiforov. You know, the Nikiforov heir from the Nikiforov part of their company's name.  
  
The most beautiful man Yuuri had ever seen. Yuuri’s heart started pumping faster inadvertently.  
  
"Oh, Victor," Yuuri breathed, "You startled me."  
  
"Thank god, you finally learned it!" Victor exclaimed, raising his cup of coffee up to a dangerous height, "You're not calling me Mr. Nikiforov anymore. It’s only been, what, a year?" he elucidated, while dropping the boiling liquid on his very expensive Armani suit.  
  
Well. Perhaps not the brightest man Yuuri had ever seen. But certainly the prettiest.  
  
"Are you okay?" Yuuri asked, in earnest. What should he do? Try to help him clean up his collar? But that would involve his hand touching the proximity of his torso. No, Yuuri wouldn't dare.  
  
“I’m fine,” Victor shook his head, suddenly the most composed version of himself again. “So, what did you think about our newest addition?”

 _I think the real Victor has been kidnapped by aliens and you’re the doppelganger they left in disguise to ruin the publishing world book by book._ Was he truly asking Yuuri about what he thought about that garbage?

“I’ll be sure to give it my best.”

There. A non-answer so good, it might have probably saved his skin and his career.

“Yeah, I know you will,” Victor said, with a softness to his voice Yuuri had never heard before. “You always do.”

_Okay._

“Listen, Yuuri. Could you pass by my office before you leave tonight? I’ve been meaning to speak with you ever since last week’s party, but I never seemed to find you anywhere.”

“It’s a big building,” Yuuri answered, stupidly.

“It is.” There it was, that half-smile again. Did Victor know what that smiled did to him? Probably not.

In fact, Yuuri had no idea what Victor was on about.

What party? The company party, the one Yuuri hid himself in the cafeteria and drank away his sorrows for failing spectacularly to meet the required pre-sale numbers for their book to make the top 10 list?

He didn’t even see Victor in that party. He didn’t see anyone, he was so anxious. Yuuri woke up home the other day with a _massive_ hangover, though. That wasn’t fun.  
  
“So, what do you say?” Victor said, bursting Yuuri out of his bubble.

“What?” He stumbled on his words. What was the question again? “Oh, O-f c-course, I’ll be there.”

“I can’t wait,” Victor said. “Please don’t run away this time,” he continued, hopeful, almost... pleading?

And in a blink of an eye, he was gone.

Yuuri was left in a trance. Why was Victor acting so strange? Why did he even want him in his office after company time?

Of course. There was only one plausible explanation.

Victor was going to fire him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

  
  
“Phichit, this is the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

“No, it’s not, Yuuri,” Phichit said, prancing all around Yuuri’s office later that day. “It’s genius! It’s a marketing stunt so low, it’ll be sure to get everyone’s attention. And the book will sell buckets, I’m sure it’ll get a second printing in no time. I don’t know why I insist on trying to be a successful author by climbing up - _very_ slowly, if I may add -  in the publishing ladder by editing other people’s work. I’m clearly wasting my talent here, we should just switch careers.”

“I said _no_ , Phichit. We’re not doing this,” Yuuri was adamant in his response.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s foul play and undignified. We don’t need that kind of press for N&F.”

“But you’re the one who always says any publicity is good publicity, aren’t you?”

“Not when you mean we should spread out a rumor that might potentially ruin an author’s reputation, bad an author as he might be.”

“It’s not a rumor if it’s true! The man writes _porn_ , he’s not an uptight Korean citizen about to be exposed. We’ll leak it and see what happens, maybe no one will care.”  
  
“We’re not leaking Seung-gil’s _nudes_!”

Was that a concept just too hard for Phichit to comprehend? That a breach of privacy like that was just unacceptable, disgusting even from a marketing point of view? Yuuri was a professional, he didn’t buy into the stereotypes associated with his field. He didn’t condone it.

“Okay, Yuuri. It was just an idea. You know how desperate I am to keep this internship.”

_The limits people are willing to cross for money. I swear to god… it’s not worth it. I don’t think I wanna do this for much longer._

“But where did you even find this photo, anyway?” Yuuri said aggravated.

“I saw it on Christophe’s phone,” Phichit admitted, biting his upper lip.

“Of course,” Yuuri flushed, then shook his head. He didn’t even want to know. “Phichit, delete it. I said it, we don’t need that kind of involvement here.”

“Fine.” Phichit made a scene of pressing a button on his smartphone. “There goes my leverage. Now you just gotta delete it from yours, because I sent it to you too.”

“Oh my god, Phichit,” Yuuri groaned, searching in his pocket for his phone. It wasn’t there. It must be in his bag, then. “Anyway, I have a feeling I won’t have to be putting up with this for long.”

“Why do you say that?” Phichit asked, suddenly serious.

“Mr. Nikiforov said he wanted me in his office after the shift. He’s most likely going to fire me,” Yuuri sighed.

“Uh, no?”

“What?”

“Yuuri, are you insane?” Phichit let out a disbelieving noise. "He’s not gonna fire you for any reason, that one. He _needs_ you. You’re the only person he listens to, apart from Cristophe. Your influence is pretty much what’s keeping this company together, these days. All that aside, he’s also _really_ into you.”

  
“The boss? No way!”

Yuuri blushed furiously. _As if._

“Don’t be naïve. Anyone can see it. He’s eating out of the palm of your hand. Just go to his office,” Phichit brushed it off. “ _And_ if he’s going to fire you anyway, you might as well send him that nude…”

Yuuri led Phichit to the edge of his office door. “Goodbye, Phichit.” And shut it on his face.

 

 

* * *

 

  
  
Yuuri worked like a madman until 7PM. He wanted to leave everything ready…. just in case.

He didn’t even have time to check his phone until it was almost time for his meeting with Victor. It was then that he saw on his messages.

The dick pic.

If he was going to be fair, it was actually a really… _attractive_ photo. What? Yuuri was bi, he could say it if he thought a dick was pretty.

It was the perfect size, not too long, but thick. The skin from the Korean’s inner thighs was delicate and pale, and so was the hand stroking it upwards. But it was the dark background behind the scene that puzzled Yuuri. It looked a bit like the restrooms in the building.

Well. Seung-gil should be proud of himself. He was a lucky man... or maybe Christophe was, for having tapped that. Anyway. This was probably the whole reason why this book was going to be published in the first place.

A sexual favor from Christophe.

Yuuri wouldn’t put it beyond him to have based the cover of _The Shape of Desire_ off this picture. The similarities were uncanny.

And if the press caught on that, let’s just say… it would be advisable to avoid that scandal at all costs.

_Better delete it while I can._

But then his phone buzzed.

 

**_From: Victor Nikiforov_ **

Hey, Yuuri. You coming? :)

**_To: Victor Nikiforov_ **

Had a bit of a setback

I’m coming right now!

 

And then it all happened too fast.

In his defense, if you asked him a few years later how exactly he fucked up in that moment, Yuuri would turn as red as a tomato and swear he was just trying to send Victor a thumbs up emoji and close the convo.

But he stood up too fast, and instead, he ended up forwarding Victor the last picture in his camera roll.

You know which one it is.

So. Yuuri said he was _coming_ right now, didn’t he?

 

* * *

 

 

Holy. Mother. Of. God.

_Fucking hell. I sent a dick pic to my boss._

_I'm gonna EAT one of Phichit’s hamsters._

No, Yuuri should be reasonable.

 _I’m gonna go sit in a corner and cry._  
  
What the fuck should Yuuri do now? Should he still go?

Of course he should, but how on earth would he explain this? He needed an excuse ready in 3 minutes, one that wouldn’t compromise anyone.

_That… was impossible._

Well, there was no way Yuuri wasn’t gonna be fired now.

 

* * *

 

  
  
“Come in.”

Cautiously, Yuuri stepped inside Victor Nikiforov’s office. He hid his trembling hands behind his back as he stood glued to the closed door.

Yuuri found his boss sitting at his blue chair right in the center of the room. In the glass table in front of him, his laptop lid was down, like he had just turned it off. Instead of papers and graphic tests, the only other objects on Victor’s work desk were a bottle of wine and two glasses.

And for the life of Yuuri, he couldn’t figure out what the impenetrable look on Victor’s face was supposed to mean.

“Did you clock out?” Victor asked, seriously.

“I did.”

“Good,” Victor assented. “We’re not on company hours. This is about something else.”  
  
_My resignation._

_I just hope I’m brave enough to do it before you do._

“Victor, there’s something I need to say to you,” Yuuri said desperately, moving closer to where he was sitting on his desk.

As Victor saw Yuuri approaching, he stood up, a hand splayed out in Yuuri’s direction indicating he wanted silence.

“I know. But I think it’s important you know where I stand first.”

Victor walked around his desk and met Yuuri halfway in the office.

“Yuuri,” he said his name almost fondly, “I didn’t think you’d be so forward in making this decision, but I’m glad you made things easier for me.”

“I understand it’s a difficult position to be in... I mean, you’re my subordinate, but it doesn’t feel like the wrong decision at all,” Victor went on, cryptically. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, you know. I assume you feel the same way.”

“I do.”

_I mean, of course I should be fired. You don’t need to feel bad about it._

Victor smiled.

“Ever since the company party, my opinion of you has changed... dramatically? Before, I thought I knew what our relationship was like. I admired you, respected you as a colleague, but there was always something else there as well… and now it’s magnified.”

_Disgust._

_Especially after the fiasco that was that company party._

_But wait. When did he even see me there?_

“Don’t you feel like this is the right course of action?” Victor whispered, standing entirely too close for comfort. “The natural progression of things? After _today,_ I...”

“You’re right about everything, Victor,” Yuuri admitted, lowering his head. “Of course I agree. And I understand. I just want you to know that I never planned for any of this to happen.”

Victor shook his head, then held Yuuri’s chin up with his fingers.

“Look at me,” he commanded. Yuuri did. His eyes were so blue Yuuri got distracted with them. “I’m very grateful for all that you’ve done for me. You’ve been a good friend. Thank you, Yuuri. I needed to get this off my chest. But I’m not done yet.”

_You’re too kind to me._

_I can’t handle this anymore._

Yuuri thought he was going to shake his hand and tell him to go, so he uttered:

“I quit.”

At the same time Victor confessed:

“I’m in love with you.”

And kissed Yuuri.

Yuuri was caught completely by surprise, so he kissed him back for 3 whole seconds before pulling back and setting some space between them with his hand.

Victor’s face fell. Yuuri had never seen him look so desolate.

“Wait, what did you say?” Victor tripped over his own words. “You’re not in love with me?”

“No!” Yuuri screamed too fast, still blushing all over. “Weren’t you going to fire me?”

“I... wasn’t.”

Victor blinked six times in succession, very, very slowly.

He stepped back, like a an animal caught in a trap, reevaluating his options.

“Okay,” he smiled, but it was his fake smile, the one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He started pouring wine awkwardly on one of the glasses. “There seems to have been a misunderstanding here.”

 _A misunderstanding? My whole_ life _is one big misunderstanding. What the hell is going on now? Why did my boss just kiss me?_

“Do you know why you’re here?” Victor frowned.

“Because I accidentally sent you a dick pic?” Yuuri flinched.

“Wait.” Victor stopped pouring wine suddenly. “Accidentally?”

Yuuri’s eyes widened in shock.

“Did you think I sent my dick to you on purpose?” He accused.

“What was I supposed to think?” Victor blushed, confidence momentarily failing him. “You’ve been giving me _signs_ all week, then my phone buzzes at work and it’s a picture of your hard… _member_ in one of our bathrooms!”

“It’s Seung-gil’s picture!” Yuuri yelled back in defense. “I was trying to avoid it getting leaked, because that’s what a publicist does. I was trying to delete the photo before it reached the wrong hands, but instead I accidentally sent it to you!”

“What?” Victor looked thoroughly confused. “Our author? But how?”

“Please don’t ask. You don’t really want to know. Just understand this: I was trying to protect the integrity of the company… not trying to _hit_ on you. My boss, of all people!”

Victor considered his words for a second.

“Oh. That explains it. So you _do_ see me as only your boss. Oh, my... this is just… You don’t return my feelings?”

“Victor, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. We’ve never interacted anywhere besides at work, never talked about anything but work. How could you decide you’re suddenly in love with me?”

“I see.” Victor’s eyes were unreadable. “So it wasn’t the same for you. I apologize. It was my mistake. I hope you can forgive my behavior. That was… unacceptable for me to do.”

If Yuuri’s adrenaline levels could be measured right now, they’d surely be up the roof.

“You know what,” Yuuri said, “Screw this. Is this some kind of joke to you? One of your crazy ‘group dynamics’ I need to pass? You’ve been acting weird for a while now. This is _so_ something you would do, isn’t it?”

Victor visibly recoiled in shock. _Oh, I’m so gonna regret this._ Yuuri took a deep breath and spelled it all out.

“I don’t think you’re fit to run this company right now. Look at our publishing schedule! What kind of crap is that _Shape of Desire_? It’s nothing like the kind of thing we usually publish… and if that’s the route we are taking now, then I think I don’t believe in this company’s ideals anymore. This is too much for me. _You_ ask too much of me.”

“What do you mean, Yuuri? Is this about the kiss? Because if it is, I said I am sorry, I shouldn’t have taken the liberty just because…”

“No, Victor, listen to me! You can’t be in your right mind! Just because you know I have a… _thing_ for you, that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want to me. You’re failing as a leader. Do you need a wake up call or something, before it’s too late? Because I just had mine. That’s why I… quit. Yeah, I quit.”

 _What did you do, Yuuri._ _  
_

Yuuri stormed out of the office before Victor could say anything else.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**To: Phichit**

so this is what happened

and it’s all your fault

 

**From: Phichit**

omfg

BOY ARE YOU INSANE

is this sexual harassment

yuuri do you feel sexually harassed

 

**To: Phichit**

_i_ don’t, but he must be!

he got a DICK PIC on his phone

 

**From: Phichit**

well yea

you’re right

 

**To: Phichit**

i just don’t understand why he must be so insufferable all the time

tricking me

of course i wanted to kiss him, but not if it was part of a game!!

you know how he’s like

 

**From: Phichit**

but what if he isn’t playing, yuuri

you said he mentioned last week’s party

it’s weird, cuz i didn’t even see you there

 

**To: Phichit:**

exactly!!!

 

**From: Phichit**

wait a sec

 

Yuuri waited 8 minutes.

 

**From: Phichit**

yuuri.

my dear friend.

how do you explain this picture?

 

_download media_

 

  
It was a picture of last week’s party. In it, Yuuri and Victor were dancing, bodies plastered together in some kind of salsa. It looked like the photographer took the photo from a distance, behind the shadows of the cafeteria. They appeared to be completely alone apart from that.

 

**From: Phichit**

there’s more

 

The following images looked like a progression of events. _Shit._

It wasn’t part of a prank.

Yuuri had kissed him. Yuuri had kissed his boss. He kissed Victor. On his nose.

Yuuri kissed Victor there.

On the company party.

_So that’s why he thought..._

 

**To: Phichit**

i want to crawl up over under a rock and die.  
where did you get this

phichit please answer

 

**From: Phichit**

that’s _highly_ confidential

i have my sources

but yuuri.

he really likes you.

what now?

 

**To: Phichit**

i fucked up.

 

* * *

 

 

The following day was a Saturday and they didn’t worked then. Yuuri arrived in the office at 9 AM anyway.

He quit, didn’t he? He needed to go get his things. Better do it while no one is around.

Yuuri had been thinking hard since last night about the trainwreck that was Friday.

Everything Victor said made sense now.

They had danced together, spent time together... No wonder Victor thought their relationship had evolved beyond the workplace.

In the end, Victor was only a man trying to act out on his feelings. He was trying to be the better person, by actually talking to the person he had a crush on and giving them an opportunity to either accept his advances or refuse them.

Nothing like what Yuuri would do. Yuuri would remain silent until the end of time and rather die before speaking out. And _Yuuri_ , the actual moron that he was, gave him the wrong idea by radically subverting the meaning of every sentence he had said.

He wasn’t just joking around, he really, actually thought he was in love with Yuuri. And Yuuri was terribly unfair with him, telling him he was a bad leader, among many other things…

Truth is, Yuuri was scared. He didn’t mean 80% of what he said. He just didn’t want to believe someone like Victor would ever be interested in someone like him.

But Victor _valued_ him anyway, didn’t he?

He said so himself. He said he relied on Yuuri’s support. That he was important. That he considered him a friend. And when he tried to kiss him, it was an honest mistake and Yuuri recognized that. It didn’t really bother him.

But it all went right out the window after he freaked out. It was too late now. He sighed to himself as he opened the door to his office probably for the very last time. When he arrived at his desk, though, there was a surprise waiting for him there.

A note.

With Victor’s handwriting.

It said:

 

_We dropped the project last night._

_We realized it wasn’t aligned with our principles._

_Thank you for your honesty._

_I hope to do better in the future._

 

_Wishing you the very best,_

 

_Victor_

 

Oh, Victor. You silly, silly man.

_Sometimes I forget you’re in charge, because that doesn’t mean you know any better than the rest of us._

Yuuri couldn’t leave. After all, a job is a job. You have to be professional, knowing you’re not always gonna agree with how things are done. It’s natural that some differences are gonna arise. But was it worth leaving this place over that?

Not really.

When would he ever land a job like this again? That he actually had a voice and was treated with such respect?

Besides, Yuuri couldn’t deny it to himself any longer. He was absolutely gone for this ludicrous, impossible CEO.

But wait, did he say _last night_?

Did that mean Victor was here _now_?

Yuuri dropped the note and ran to the other side of the 12th floor. Through the office’s transparent door, he saw him sitting there.

Victor.

Highly engrossed in his task of making notes with his usual red pen in piles of drafts. Although he looked concentrated, there was a different kind of frown adorning his face today. A very grave one.

Yuuri didn’t like it at all.

He went inside, unannounced.

“What would you ever do without me, Mr. Nikiforov?”

Yuuri smiled, with an obvious tease to his tone.

Victor glanced over him distractedly, frowning even harder at the interruption. But when he realized what was happening, that it was Yuuri here,  his jaw dropped in the most adorable way.

“I don’t know,” he tried to sound casual. “Crash and burn, maybe.”

“That would be bad for the business.”

Victor grinned. “Yes. It would be.”

“Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen, then. Someone needs to keep an eye on you.”

Victor stood up. He could barely hide his excitement behind his impassive façade.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“That depends. Please let us never presume to know what the other is saying ever again. If you think I’m saying I’d like to take my resignation back, then… you’d be absolutely correct.”

“Yuuri…”

“I was so unfair to you. I didn’t remember the party at all. I thought you were playing with my feelings.”

Yuuri looked down in shame. But then, Victor appeared right in front of him. He didn’t try to conceal his smile anymore.

“And what feelings would those be? If I may ask?”

“I like you, Victor.”

“Do you?”

“Yes,” Yuuri blushed. “I’m sorry. How did Seung-il take the news?”

Victor laughed at the sudden change of subject.

“Surprisingly, very well. Turns out he didn’t like the book either. He said he wanted more time to ‘develop the story’ better anyway. I made sure he got a good proposal from a different publisher… one that was more his style.”

“Oh, god. I caused you such a hassle…” Yuuri couldn’t _believe_ Victor did it all because of him.

“No, Yuuri, no,” Victor took his hand and raised it to his chest, “You did well. You’re my moral compass, you know that?”

They smiled at each other. Dumbly. The dumb people that they were.

But if they were ever going to nudge in the right direction, the change needed to come from Yuuri.

“Wanna grab some coffee after this?” He asked, sheepishly.

“You see,” Victor pointed out, “that was the direction I was hoping this meeting would take… yesterday.”

“You were hoping for coffee?” Yuuri said, incredulous. “You didn’t look you were hoping for coffee when you jumped me like that.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“I know, I know,” Yuuri laughed, closing the gap between them, “Oh, and before we start this, there is one thing you need to know. I don’t send nudes.”

Victor laughed heartily and gave him a sound kiss on the cheek. He had an evil grin on his face.

“We’ll see.”

 

It was just another day in the life of a book publisher.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone on tumblr who encouraged me to write this little piece.
> 
> If you liked it, please let me know! Kudos and comments are very much appreciated <3
> 
> You'll find me on tumblr and twitter here.
> 
> See you soon with more Victuuri! Thank you for reading.


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